ALL except BLAKEWith luck we’ll find a suitable world,
Perhaps a gruesome death.
All in the name of humankind,
This day won’t be meaningless.

[Together, they step out onto planet. There is a moment of silence as they stare in awe at the new world, a savannah with sandy rolling plains scattered with trees and shrubbery. It is beautiful. Brooke turns around to face the crew]

BROOKE FITZGERALDWaste no time, begin prelims:
Gather surface soil, rocks,
All details on the atmosphere,
All knowledge to unlock.

BROOKE FITZGERALD and BENJIRO SARAGeology!

AIDA DESALEGN and CEDRIC CHANChemistry!

TWYFORD ATIFMeteorology!

ALL except BLAKE[Point to Blake, who scowls]

And botany!

We’ll use our strengths and pit our wits,
We’ll cooperate and strive
To defy all odds, all obstacles;
We will, we will survive.

TWYFORD ATIF[Scans atmosphere with Personal Operative Data Sphere (PODS), a metal contraption hanging around his neck, and shares the reading emanating from its holographic screen]

And so we must now bless you,
Our brightest and the best.
Our Seekers of New Utopia,
Our fate in your hands will rest!

[Tanks close and hiss]

TWYFORD ATIFBut of course, no pressure!

LINLEY YAMAGUCHIAnd now to set up camp
On humankind’s new world.
But first thing’s first, let’s get the flag,
Our pride and joy unfurled.

BLAKE MEGAN[Knocks on Linley’s helmet]

You must be fucking kidding,
When we have myriad duties.
First thing’s first, inflate the Hab;
Sort your priorities.

BROOKE FITZGERALD[Knocks on Blake’s helmet]

You are not their leader,
Miss Number Third in rank.You go and set up the Hab,
Yamaguchi, tend the oxygen tanks.

[Blake follows orders, sulking visibly]

ALL except BLAKEWe’ll use our strengths and pit our wits,
We’ll cooperate and strive
To defy all odds, all obstacles;
We will survive and thrive.

BROOKE FITZGERALDMegan, once you’ve done the Hab,
Go dig up some more dirt.
Then you may – manually –
Urination convert.

[Blake rolls her eyes as she digs into the ground. Immediately, she falls screaming in agony]

[The lights go off but for a spotlight on Blake and a giant backdrop screen]

[Blake stops screaming and writhing. Shaking, she stands up and turns to face the screen, which plays scenes from her life]

[In humanity’s last moments on Earth, plagued by natural disasters, much of Blake’s childhood was spent in anti-hurricane survival capsules. During adolescence, her father forced her to abandon him, along with the rest of the planet, to be part of the first wave of interstellar colonisers]

[On the new human planet, she joined the Transcendents – a group devoting their lives to history and progress, waking up every 30 years to analyze societal states and make recommendations. She falls in love with a colleague but neither act on their feelings, as they are discouraged from personal attachments. After the Transcendents’ first suspension, they awake to a hostile political environment, with disputes over territory and resources. They give counsel before reluctantly re-entering suspension. When they awake, the planet has been devastated by unrestrained consumerism and war]

[The Transcendents are now the Cynics. One by one they commit suicide, including Blake’s love who leaves a note which reads, “You were the single gleam of light in a worthless world.” In the fashion of ancient samurai, Blake makes to kill herself by disembowelment but at the last moment stabs herself in the shoulder instead. She joins the military of a random side after flipping a coin, and spends years deftly killing scores of “the enemy”]

[More spotlights turn on, revealing more and more humans, stealing, destroying each other and throwing out the very material things for which they’ve killed. The backdrop screen plays a montage of the most traumatizing moments on loop. The fighting humans converge to form a grotesque giant head which chases and eventually consumes Blake. Screen and lights turn off]

[Blake leaves towards the rec room. An alarmed crew follow her. She grabs a packet from the ration cupboard and with trembling hands mixes powder with the liquid]

TWYFORD ATIFFruit powder with pure ethanol …
Do you really think that wise?

ISAAC RIVERAAn act which as Chief Medic
I simply can’t advise.

BLAKE MEGANOh go fuck yourselves.

[One by one, the crew try to physically restrain Blake, who flips each on the ground. Only Brooke and Benjiro stand back, watching and shaking their heads. Blake gulps her makeshift cocktail, glowering at the crew. The crew glower back]

CEDRIC CHAN[Clearly unnerved]

Captain, I ran the ‘nostics
On all of Morgan’s gear.
The trace substance Atif found …It’sinside, it surrounds us here.

ISAAC RIVERAImpossible, how could it
The airlock permeate?

[Crew turns to Brooke]

BROOKE FITZGERALDMegan, prepare for an EVA.
We are to investigate.

BENJIRO SARACaptain! I volunteer
To assist and survey the land.

BROOKE FITZGERALDDon’t be ridiculous,
You’re second in command.

[Turns to leave]

Act like it.

[Brooke and Blake exit.]

CAVERN

[Brooke and Blake enter an underground cave. Both their PODS beep with increasing intensity, their holographs showing a high concentration of the mystery compound]

BLAKE MORGAN[Grinning mischievously]

Cap, are you not frightened,
On a planet unexplored?
Perhaps within these hollows
Is ET life, all prepped for war.

BROOKE FITZGERALDHow many captains have
A prime crew like I’ve got?

[Places hand on Blake’s helmet affectionately, almost maternally]

After all, beside me is
The military’s best shot.

[Suddenly, the PODS flatline. Nearby apparent rocks unfold into dancers. They are the physical manifestation of harmony, balance, mutual dependence, and love – limbs entwined, every movement part of a larger cycle. Behind, the screen shows the anatomy of planet, all its resources and their pace of renewal]

[Lights turn off except for a spotlight on a suddenly nude Blake. A second spotlight reveals Blake’s deceased love, also naked, moving towards her. Blake drinks in the sight of him, takes his hand and kisses it, falling to one knee. Lights go off]

[Spotlight falls on Brooke. A new spotlight shows Benjiro, who moves towards her slowly]

BROOKE FITZGERALDI ordered you to stay back,
What are you doing here?
I told you once, commanded,I –

[Benjiro kisses her. After a moment of hesitation, Blake wraps arms around him. They do not part]

[Lights turn off and on again, revealing Brooke and Blake on the floor. They awake, stare at each other for a beat, then scramble to their feet and exit the cave, running]

BACK AT CAMP

BENJIRO[Pacing back and forth]

We should go, they’ve been too long.

[Points at rest of crew]

Follow emergency protocols.

[Brooke and Blake pull up abruptly on their shuttle-ship and clamber out. Benjiro draws back arm bashfully]

BROOKE FITZGERALDDoc, you’ll need to inspect us both,
But first: attention, all!
It seems that what we’ve found
Is a planet sentient.

Aware of its own surfaces,
And armed with self defense.
With a psychoactive substance:
I went, I saw, I felt it.

To use any of its resources we must
Its balance understand, commit.

[Brooke and Blake each take a shovel and penetrate the ground. Nothing happens]

BLAKE MORGAN[Quivering with excitement]

This could not be more perfect,
Unlike most planets, it’s active.
The big picture we must bear in mind,
Our only way to live.

BROOKE FITZGERALD and BLAKE MEGANAgainst all odds, all obstacles,
We’ve found our panacea: